Originally Posted by quint
Originally Posted by Cujet
Retirement means not working.
If you are working, you are not retired, despite any thoughts to the contrary.
Resigning from a high stress job, and downsizing to reduce stress is not retirement or even semi-retirement.
I agree 100%. To me that just means you're financially independent. An enviable position to be in, but you arent 'retired' if you're working somewhere, no matter how menial the job is or how stress free it is or how easy it would be for you to stand up, walk out and never go back if you choose.
I used to get jealous when I would hear about people my age (51) or close to it retiring. Honestly, I dont feel that way much any more, the more people I know who retire, the less personal interest I have in the concept. I've seen too many of them "retire" and 6-7 months later I run into them and its always the same story... bored, bored, and bored. They traveled here and there, painted every room in the house, they golf 2-3 times a week, and 6 months later they are looking for something else to do. Retirement became hum-drum, that quick.
If I had a dollar for every guy in his mid-50's or 60's who retired from my company here and came back, I could probably retire myself. They are all fired up, they are going to sleep as late as they want, they are going to restore an old car, they are going to build an addition to the house, no more stress, no more putting up with crud going on here, they are going to travel here there and everywhere, rah rah rah! Uh huh. Its the running joke around here, when people retire and they have the retirement party in the conference room or at a local bar, "See you in six months when you start dying of boredom". And just like clockwork, six, seven or eight months later here they come. At least 40-50% of them, and thats probably a way low number.
My dad retired from aerospace engineering in the 1990's, and for the last 10 years or so he had been working in a sporting goods store and finally quit working last year at age 84, after much persuasion from myself and my siblings. We wanted him to quit working and do whatever he wanted do to. Well, apparently he already was doing what he wanted to do. I talked to him a few days ago about a car issue he was having, and he mentioned he had to get up early the next day for his physical. I told him to reschedule it for later in the day if he didnt feel like getting up early, he said no they need it for the paperwork to go through, he has to turn it in, etc etc . At this point I was like "What paperwork? Turn it in to who? What are you talking about?" and he says "Oh, yea I'm going back to work, this is a pre-employment physical. I'm going back to the store to work part time". He will be 86 next month, going back to work 20+ hours a week at the sporting goods store he worked at. I asked him why in the world he is going back to work at his age, I asked if he is short on money, does he need help, nope. Same old thing.... he's bored. He's already golfed every course around here, fished every lake and stream within 100 miles, he had been all around the globe in the military and traveled wherever so he's pretty much over that. Everything was been there done that. He says he just needs something to do on a daily basis. He has said several times "retirement sounds nice, I just dont find it all its cracked up to be". Well that lasted what, two years?
If my physical and mental health holds up as well as his, I'm sure I'll be walking in his footsteps if I live to be his age. I hope.
I don't know where you live, or who you associate with, but I've never known anyone who's retired and ended up going back to work because of boredom. I've seen where people had to go back to work because they needed the money, but no one I know who was financially set in retirement worked. I'm won't be working either. I'd do volunteer work before I went back to an actual paying job, but I don't think boredom is going to be a problem for me...
